Delphi Technologies recently put its brake pads to the test against the OE and four other leading competitors on a VW Touareg II V6 TDI, a high-end vehicle equipped with the same platform as the Porsche Cayenne and Audi Q7.

The Delphi Technologies’ pad outperformed four aftermarket brands, stopping quicker and under control, even at high temperatures, braking quietly and wearing less, for an all-round, high-performance brake pad.

As engine power increases, and with it the potential for higher speeds, so do the demands on the braking system, and the subsequent risk of brake fade, one of the biggest challenges associated with high-performance braking.

Emergency stops

To replicate these same conditions, emergency stops were performed at five different operating temperatures, ranging from 50°C to 400°C.

At speeds of just over 105 miles per hour (mph), the vehicle equipped with Delphi Technologies’ pads stopped sooner than all four aftermarket brands in every test.

It also stopped under control and recorded only a small variation in performance over the temperature range, taking 114 metres to stop at 50°C and only two metres more at 400°C.

In contrast, two competitors stopped considerably slower, with a noticeable decline in responsiveness as temperatures increased.

At 400°C, for example, the vehicle equipped with Delphi Technologies’ pads stopped three metres ahead of the next best placed aftermarket brand, 17 metres ahead of the second and a staggering 52 and 56 metres ahead of third and fourth – the latter taking an extra 37 metres to stop at 400°C compared with 50°C.

When the Delphi Technologies equipped vehicle had stopped, the two worst performing brands would have still been travelling at more than 54 mph, with potentially major consequences.

Neil Fryer, vice president, global marketing, product and strategy, Delphi Technologies Aftermarket said: “We routinely select the very best friction materials for the application they are designed to fit.

“And for high-performance vehicles, that means a pad compound that can deliver both a high and stable braking coefficient, for optimal stopping power and control, whilst also accommodating the higher energy generated during braking at higher speeds.

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